Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

HansGruber said:
You may have a tougher time with HighVoltage. The force is strong with that one. :lol:
Click to expand...

Eh, it's something to do. :mrgreen:

Of course, the fewer Volvo drivers that are out there, the less chance there is of me getting run over by an obliviot ovloV driver while on my motorcycle. :D
 
Last edited:
Spectre said:
It is not a willing partner, it doesn't do what I tell it to when I tell it to. It struggles and balks and does what it wants instead. And as best I can recall, I have never met anyone who could honestly refute that.
Click to expand...

Won't argue there. Sometimes it feels like it has a mind of its own and is plotting to kill me.

Spectre said:
I'm not saying he should like Jaguars. I just take offense to his promoting Volvos as proper drivers' cars (which he has done in the past) when they aren't. Same kind of thing with rickhamilton when he had that awful Saturn.

It's one thing to have something like the Volvo and say, "Well, it's just something to get me around, not something for entertainment." That's fine. It's another to push it as a performance car or a driver's car when it just isn't (something else rick used to do - claim that his Saturn was a good car to drive. It wasn't. Neither are FWD Volvos.)

- - - Updated - - -

I would also point out that I am far from the only one that's pointing out the problems with this, even leaving out Argatoga.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've done that sometimes. But I don't do it every time I talk about Volvos, but you seem to attack them every time, often unwarranted. I've driven lots of European sedans and a few Japanese ones, the Volvo while it may not be the best is among the better ones. At least in my opinion, which is all that matters when it comes to deciding my personal vehicle.

Spectre said:
Eh, it's something to do. :mrgreen:

Of course, the fewer Volvo drivers that are out there, the less chance there is of me getting run over by an obliviot ovloV driver while on my motorcycle. :D
Click to expand...

I'd never do that to you :)

...if you were on a bicycle however...
 
Last edited:
HansGruber said:
Spectre, you're giving this too much thought. HighVoltage likes Volvos and doesn't mind the way they drive. People have different tastes, no matter how varied they may be. I don't understand the persistent jabs you keep taking at him.
Click to expand...

That's not the point.

Thing is, that hammering on about Volvos being god's gift to motoring is an insult to motoring. And that's something worth some and all persistent jabs.

Of course my perception of the issue is somewhat clouded by my hatred of Volvos and the general Volvo-driver. But that only makes it more fun to use HighVoltage as a target. :dance:
 
Last edited:
_HighVoltage_ said:
Says the guy with a turbo brick in his avatar :p

I don't know what the problem is - every time I mention a Volvo it is either Spectre or argatoga feeling the necessity to automatically attack the car based on already established truths and deficiencies of the FWD platform. Shortly after it descends into a rather meaningless session of bickering with no productive result.

Maybe it is my fault in fueling this futility - like I said I don't actually plan on buying a yellow T5-R, it's just a fantasy of mine. Same as owning a Countach. And I'm sure that if that day ever comes, there will be similar discussions with people pointing out how bad the Countach is as a car.

The fact of the matter is, we drive the cars we want for different reasons, but it's a matter of personal choice and self-expression. I have reasons for not wanting to buy a BMW for example and they have nothing to do with how they actually drive.
Click to expand...

I've been in your shoes...only with a Failturn.

It only gets worse before it gets better. FG's method of car counseling tough love has (sorta) changed me and it can do the same for you.

I can even admit that my SL was, indeed, pretty crappy. That's a big step, IMO.

All you gotta do is accept the help...

/ducks :mrgreen:
 
frankiess said:
That's not the point.

Thing is, that hammering on about Volvos being god's gift to motoring is an insult to motoring. And that's something worth some and all persistent jabs.

Of course my perception of the issue is somewhat clouded by my hatred of Volvos and the general Volvo-driver. But that only makes it more fun to use HighVoltage as a target. :dance:
Click to expand...

That's a bit of an overstatement because I don't act like this.

In general I do agree with you - a lot of Volvos models are pretty bad/boring/bland and in general the people who drive them are the worst drivers on the road. With that said, there are exceptions to both - they had some good models and some Volvo owners are more informed about what's happening around them.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
That's a bit of an overstatement because I don't act like this.
Click to expand...

On occasion, HV, you do. It's perfectly fine to pimp your model if done in a wink-wink fashion like narf does with Skodas, but you do get too in-your-face occasionally, the same way Rick did with the Failturn. The groupthink here necessitates an approach like Ewen Page did on TGAUS when he was in your situation: admit your love for Volvos proudly, but with the foreknowledge that it's a bit like coming out in favor of kicking puppies.

In general I do agree with you - a lot of Volvos models are pretty bad/boring/bland and in general the people who drive them are the worst drivers on the road.
Click to expand...

And that's Volvo's fault for pushing the safety of their vehicles in advertising. If you go on that basis, you're bound to attract the "afraid to drive" crowd.

With that said, there are exceptions to both - they had some good models and some Volvo owners are more informed about what's happening around them.
Click to expand...

Which is true. However, when your public image is so invested with the safety of your cars, it starts an unending cycle, which peaks in the cars being engineered to appeal more to that standard than to things like driving dynamics, handling, and other things that get incorporated into what's normally considered the "driving experience". Volvos may be good cars, but they do not fit the standard definition of what the population here considers a "drivers' car". It's tough to get a boner over reinforced passenger cells.
 
Labcoatguy said:
Methinks our resident Bulgarian expat needs to step away from the bricks and detox in the setting of some other, more interesting cars. Truly a case of Stockholm Syndrome that he's suffering from. Life with a Miata for just six months will transform your perspective for the better; just ask LeVeL about his conversion.
Click to expand...
Someone called? :D When I was 16 I wanted to get a Nissan Maxima and I did - a 97. Best handling in its class according to all the reviews, 3.0L VQ30 V6 that was continuously present on Ward's 10 Best Engines list, 190hp and 205lb*ft. Hell yes! I thought I was driving God's own chariot. The car was faster and sounded cooler than any of my friends' cars, including I-4 Camrys, Altimas, and Accords. Really all Hondas were, in my mind, ricer crapboxes and I vowed that I'd never have one. Miatas were little fag cars for hairdressers and the like. The only car I wanted more than the Maxima was a newer Maxima with the 265hp motor.

Then I went to college and met some car enthusiasts. Shock #1 came when I was following an older Impreza 2.5RS and we got to some s-curves. I slammed on my brakes. He didn't. By the time I came around the corner I couldn't even see him anymore. Shock #2 came when I rode in a B16 CRX on coilovers and it tore my goddamn face off. I simply couldn't believe that something could corner that hard. Suddenly I wanted a Honda but, since it would take some work to make it fast and I didn't know what a wrench was back then, I decided that what I really wanted was a Subaru.

My CRX-driving friend, who was now my roommate, tried talking me out of an unreliable, slow, understeering Impreza but I was adamant that I wanted a "rally car". At one point he suggested a Miata and I laughed. It didn't take long for him to show me that the little Mazda was a reliable and cheap-to-run little thing. The handling aspect I didn't really fully believe - sure its light and RWD but its a girls car! How uncool! Not only that but I wanted practicality.

The former bit, about practicality, went out of the window when my friend asked me the following questions: why do you need a practical car? Well, I want a back seat and a useful trunk, of course! Why? How often do you have any passengers in the back seat and when there are some, how often do you actually want to have them there, as opposed to having been conned into being the designated driver?

This was a pretty good point really. However, I still wanted an Impreza. I drove a WRX and the turbo rush was fun but otherwise the car felt like exactly what it was - a big heavy understeering sedan, much like my Maxima. I drove my beloved 2.5RS too and this was much the same except without the turbo. I drove my roommate's aforementioned CRX and the grip and nimbleness blew my mind into another dimension.

Then I drove a Miata. It was a beat-up 1994 NA with mismatching paint; bone stock except for tires. This was my first glimpse into the actual joy of driving. Light, responsive, nimble, dripping with feedback, fantastic gearbox, and oh yes, rear-wheel drive. The deal was sealed when I came over a crest on a narrow road and the road turned under me. I would have been fine if it wasn't for the sand covering the entire turn. The car went sideways, I corrected out of instinct, drifted the corner, and kept driving, albeit with a racing heart rate. Then I drove an NB and it was even better. The rest is history really.

I've still to this day never driven anything that was as pure in its joy as the Miata. Cliche, I know, but its true, and I've driven a fair share of cars. The uncoolness, the stereotypes, the fact that every granny has one, the impracticality, it all goes right out of the window then the top is down, the revs are up, and the tires are squealing through a cone gate, the car balanced on the limit via my right foot.

Even my Honda-obsessed friend who has had two CRXs, a Civic hatch, and an S2000, has switched to the Miata and confessed that it is far more fun than the others (S2000 is close, of course, but his ap1 had the typical handling issues).

I think I'll go for a drive in the rain now.
 
You need to implement the rep system to be able to give LeVeL positive reputation.
 
TomCat said:
And the only ones I would trust as far as I could push, out of warranty, would be the MX-5 and maybe the S2k, depending on how well it was treated in life. You could keep the rest.
Click to expand...
You have some strange (read: wrong) opinions on those cars then. The 2nd/3rd Gen MR2s are bullet proof (1st gen had rust issues IIRC but thats to be expected from old Japanese car), in fact 2nd gen had a non-interferences engine so it was very hard to break. In fact when I researched them the ONLY issue that is constantly reported on them is freezing e-brake cable. Pretty much same goes for the Supra, the only issue I ever managed to find on the MkIII is some head gasket issues that can be easily fixed by torquing down the head to higher spec than factory, also rust could be an issue with something that old. The FM platform is 100% bullet proof I have more than a few friends driving those cars and they are either near or over 100K w/o any issues. 240s are quite reliable as well, S14 slightly better due to better rust proofing but again no major issues and parts and knowledge is a plenty.

Out of all of them I will give you Mustang, Genesis, Vette, and the BRZ/GT86 mainly because aside from the Vette they are a bit too new to see any real long term reliability statistics.

Point is that you would be VERY hard pressed to find fun AND reliable FWDs outside of the old and cheap bracket...
 
prizrak said:
Point is that you would be VERY hard pressed to find fun AND reliable FWDs outside of the old and cheap bracket...
Click to expand...

I was this close to bringing up the Mazda3 but remembered that they seem to have rust issues that most Japanese manufacturers have fixed. They are my all-time favorite rental compact, if that means anything.
 
Labcoatguy said:
I was this close to bringing up the Mazda3 but remembered that they seem to have rust issues that most Japanese manufacturers have fixed. They are my all-time favorite rental compact, if that means anything.
Click to expand...
Mazda3 has electric power steering, which I hate with a passion. They have some reliability issues and really outside of the Mazdaspeed model nowhere near the RWD cars on the list in peformance department (uncle had one).
 
Last edited:
prizrak said:
Mazda3 has electric power steering, which I hate with a passion. They have some reliability issues and really outside of the Mazdaspeed model nowhere near the RWD cars on the list in peformance department (uncle had one).
Click to expand...

The Mazda3's electric power steering is actually electro-hydraulic, where an electric motor drives a normal hydraulic power steering setup instead of having it run off the serpentine belt. It's the same system that the Mk2 and Mk3 MR2s had, and it feels like normal power steering. And we're talking about fun to drive, not number-based performance, but that horse has been beaten to death in the FT86 threads.
 
Last edited:
prizrak said:
Mazda3 has electric power steering, which I hate with a passion. They have some reliability issues and really outside of the Mazdaspeed model nowhere near the RWD cars on the list in peformance department (uncle had one).
Click to expand...

The RX-8 has electric power steering. That explains why it handles so badly and everyone complains about the steering feel.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top